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The Quest for National Identity

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Cold War Rivalry and the Perception of the American West

Part of the book series: Palgrave Macmillan Transnational History Series ((PMSTH))

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Abstract

“You will be my next hero,” says a drunk person to an Indian who just entered the saloon, somewhere in the American West. “An Indian treasure will be the subject of my next book”, the same person says a few moments later, just before he loses control of his body and his head bangs against the saloon counter. The drunkard turns out to be Karl May and the scene came from the film Der Schuh des Manitou (Manitou’s Shoe), a parody of Karl May films, released in 2001. More than 8.85 million people saw the film in just two months after its release, which surpassed even Otto-der Film (1985), a film virtually unknown in North America, the most popular film in German history prior to 2001.1

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Notes

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  1. Department of History, University of Texas at Arlington, USA

    Pawel Goral

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© 2014 Pawel Goral

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Goral, P. (2014). The Quest for National Identity. In: Cold War Rivalry and the Perception of the American West. Palgrave Macmillan Transnational History Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137364302_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137364302_6

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-47324-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-36430-2

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